San Ramon City Hall history

San Ramon pioneers Joel Harlan, Minerva Fowler, and Leo and Jane Norris came to California in 1846 and resisted going with the Donner party on their new route.

American settlers first came to San Ramon in 1850 when Leo and Mary Jane Norris purchased 4,450 acres of land from Amador.

Year 1851: First wood frame house built by Leo Norris and William Lynch.

The first house Joel and Minerva Harlan built was listed as a marker for the new Alameda-Contra Costa County line in 1853.

In an 1855 land title case, Don Amador explained that "San" was added to the creek's name to conform with Spanish custom.

In 1864, a stage line established by Brown and Company ran from San Ramon through the valley to Oakland.

Later they moved their home to its present location and called it "El Nido". William Langdon, a graduate of the San Ramon Grammar School, became the S.F. District Attorney, a 1906 candidate for Governor, and a Justice on the Supreme Court.

The Bartlett pear orchard at the Bishop Ranch, begun in 1911, was known as the largest single orchard of Bartlett pears in the world.

Today's Dublin San Ramon Services District has had several names. It began as the Parks Community Service District in 1953 by farmers who wanted new water supplies.

In 1961 it became the Valley Community Services District and provided a wide range of services to the Volk-McLain housing developments.

The designation "San Ramon Village" first appeared in the 1970 census with a count of 4,084 people, part of a San Ramon Valley population of 25,899.

It began as the Parks Community Service District in 1953 by farmers who wanted new water supplies. Its present name was adopted in 1977 and its parks now belong to the cities of Dublin and San Ramon.